The scale on a map is 1cm : 4km. If two cities are 5cm apart on the map, what is the actual distance in km between the two cities?
Answer: The scale means that every 1cm on the map corresponds to an actual distance of 4km. A distance of 5cm on the map is the same as 5 $\cdot$ 1cm. The actual distance between the two cities is 5 $\cdot$ 4km, or 20km.